Is Haslem back as Heat starter vs. Pacers?

ASK IRA:

Q: Is Udonis Haslem now back as a starter against the Pacers? And there is any chance for a Greg Oden sighting? -- Joel.

A: I don't see any permutation at this stage but to have Haslem opening against Roy Hibbert. I mean, the Hawks did stretch the floor and render Hibbert somewhat impotent, but I don't think Shane Battier has the post defense in him at this stage to deal with either David West or Hibbert. The key is that Haslem is going to have to be able to hit his baseline jumper, or else Hibbert is going to remain planted in the middle. To a degree, I find it amusing that many of these Pacers questions mention Haslem and Oden in the same breath. Greg hasn't played in so long that I couldn't fathom him moving anywhere close to the rotation, although it is possible he again is active on game nights, possibly pushing Michael Beasley back to the inactive list.

Q: Not to be negative, and it is incredibly impressive that the Miami Heat will be going to the Eastern Conference finals for the fourth consecutive year, but the reality is the Miami Heat don't have homecourt advantage in the Eastern Conference finals this year against Indiana because Dwyane Wade or no Dwyane Wade, during the season the Miami Heat lost too many games to teams under .400 that they could have and should have won! There are at least seven games the Heat should have won against inferior competition. I remember the Celtics game in November when the Heat played little defense. It will really stink if the Heat lose to Indiana and don't get to a fourth consecutive NBA Finals appearance because of homecourt advantage. It will prove that attention to detail and small things matter. -- Stuart.

A: You're assuming there will be a Game 7. Remember, no matter how the teams get there, one team will have the ability to close out the series in Game 6. And that game is at AmericanAirlines Arena. Hubris is not going lightly against the league's lesser half, it's proving your worth when it matters most, like at the start of this series. And it's not as if the Pacers have been dominant at home this postseason, certainly not like the Heat.

Q: I'm shocked that the Heat and Pacers are meeting in the Eastern Conference finals . . . said no one who follows the NBA. -- Thomas.

A: Because, ultimately, there were only two teams in the conference complete enough to compete at this level.

May 15, 2014

Q: Yes, not one, not two, not three . . but four Eastern Conference finals appearances. -- Gisela.

A: No, LeBron James was not talking about East finals appearances when he was hyperventilating with hyperbole on that July evening in 2010 at AmericanAirlines Arena, so challenges remain. But when you pause for a moment and realize that the Heat have made it to the penultimate round of the playoffs for four consecutive seasons, it truly is a bit staggering, that no one to this point has kept the Big Three from advancing at least to this level. And they likely will be favored in the East finals no matter the opponent, even if it's Indiana with homecourt advantage. The sustained excellence says plenty about LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, as well as what Pat Riley has assembled alongside. Friday and Saturday, when there are no NBA games, it might be a time to take stock in what has transpired at 601 Biscayne. Incredible.

Q: The Nets could have had the Pacers in the playoffs instead. -- Neil.

A: Good point. The Nets' late season intentional tanking got them Raptors/Heat when the path could have been Bulls/Pacers. With the latter combination, it is quite possible Brooklyn could have made it to the East finals, what they showed against the Raptors and Heat likely enough to have gotten past the Bulls and Pacers. Instead they got cute, and got burned.

Q: So the Heat's record in the first two rounds was a league-best 8-1, believe it or not. -- L.K.

A: And yet there still were only limited stretches when you felt the Heat were playing dominant ball. Look, let's not overstate a diet of Bobcats and Nets compared to the Clippers getting Warriors and Thunder, or even the Spurs getting Mavericks and Trail Blazers, or the Thunder getting Grizzlies and Clippers. And the Heat likely will be going against the least-respected of the four remaining teams when the conference finals are settled. But 8-1 is 8-1, and exactly what this team needed with so much playoff wear these past four seasons.

May 14, 2014

Q: Ira, I thought the maintenance was supposed to help Dwyane Wade. However, he's averaging the same amount of points per game as he did in last year's playoffs. -- Omied, Los Angeles.

Q: Hey Ira, at the start of Monday's game I asked what was with Wade's poor one-on-one defense making Shaun Livingston look like a star. But his late game turnovers were pitiful as well. What's his deal? Thanks. -- Scott, Los Angeles